Chesterfield master gardeners host 3rd annual free seed swap

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield County master gardeners are helping residents grow their own by giving away thousands of free seeds and plants at the third annual seed swap Saturday at Beulah Recreation Center.

The event, hosted by the Chesterfield County Cooperative Extension, offered free seeds, live plant cuttings, and gardening resources to residents of Chesterfield County and surrounding areas. Organizers estimate they will give away between 30,000 and 35,000 seed packets this year — up from roughly 25,000 last year.

Daniel Lovegood, volunteer coordinator for the Chesterfield County Cooperative Extension, said the event is designed to make gardening accessible and affordable for everyone, from beginners to experienced growers.

"The prices of food is going up. People are wanting to learn how to grow their own food, and we want to make that affordable and easily accessible for people who may be avid gardeners or beginners," Lovegood said.

Attendees received a sandwich bag capable of holding roughly 70 seed packets, which they could fill for free from booths organized by category — including legumes, peppers, eggplants, annual flowers, native plants, and herbs. This year, the event also featured approximately 1,100 live plant donations, predominantly from community vendors and master gardeners.

Lovegood said the mission of the event goes beyond seeds.

"Our whole mission is to share knowledge and empower communities. That's our sort of motto as master gardeners," Lovegood said.

FULL INTERVIEW: Chesterfield master gardeners give away thousands of free seeds

Master gardeners staffed tables throughout the event, answering questions about specific plants, when to grow them, how to harvest seeds, and how to test soil. Soil sample test kits were also available for free.

Lovegood said one of the event's core goals is removing the barriers that can make gardening feel intimidating.

"We are getting rid of one of those barriers that comes with trying out something new. What if you buy a bunch of these seeds and you plant them and it doesn't work? Well, now you get to try it out. You didn't have to pay anything. And if it doesn't work, you've learned something," Lovegood said.

Lovegood emphasized that gardening is something anyone can do, regardless of space or experience.

"Anyone can be a gardener. It doesn't matter if you have no lawn. It doesn't matter if you have 20 acres. You can garden. You can garden in a bucket. You can garden in a straw bale. You can garden in a raised bed. You can garden in the ground," Lovegood said.

The event also featured activities for children, including a giant Plant RVA sign where kids could write their names and collect stickers from the ask-an-expert tables.

Lovegood said the response from the community has been overwhelming.

"People are leaving with something. They are coming in with nothing and they're leaving with something. It personally makes me so happy to see these people getting something out of this," Lovegood said. "I just feel like I'm at a big family gathering right now. It's beautiful."

All services offered by the Chesterfield County Cooperative Extension are free. Residents can visit the extension office, located in the same building as the central library, or call in to ask master gardeners questions at no charge.

Lovegood said organizers are already looking ahead to next year and may move to a larger location to accommodate growing interest.

"Everything we offer to the county is free for the purpose of empowering and educating and serving our community," Lovegood said.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.